In Harm's Way
by Hockey35
Summary: There's a serial killer loose on a military base in Afghanistan that is targeting women. When NCIS comes up blank, they are forced to call in the FBI elite to profile their killer. But will the BAU's presence help, or only entice the killer? NOT A XOVER!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Ok, here is my latest fic! I'd like to start off by giving a HUGE thanks to my epically fantastic beta **_**insanepersonishappy**_**. You are awesome! This is very team centric (sorry, Hotch lovers) and is different from anything else I've ever seen. Now, it does involve the military and a serial killer on a military base, so if you don't like that kinda stuff, turn back now. My dad has been in the Navy my entire life, so this fic in no way attacks or belittles any members of the armed forces. So, keep the flames to yourself. I'll try to keep this as accurate as possible. And because of the fact that I'm using a military base as my target in this fic, every location will be fake (bases, hospitals, etc.) except for the cities. I'm also going to do this different. Before I bother writing anymore to this story, I want to see if anyone is even interested. So, depending on the response, I'll continue.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds, nor do I make a profit from it.**

**Rated: M for Extreme Language and Graphic Violence**

---

ENLISTED BUNKERS

US Naval Base, Afghanistan

"Wake up, Rogers! It's time for our morning run." Corporal Lucas Rogers rolled over in his sandy cot and looked at his bunkmate wearily. "C'mon man, even the insurgents have to sleep. Why do we have to fight a war so damn early?" His question was answered by a splash of cold water from his fellow Marine, Staff Sergeant Carter Morales. "Lucas, you know you're the laziest Marine I know." Rogers pulled on his desert camouflage pants as Morales bushed his teeth quickly. The two men wanted to get their run out of the way before the sun was up and the Afghanistan desert reached its predicted high of one hundred-eighteen degrees Fahrenheit. "You ready Morales?"

---

Two muscular figures rounded the rocky path three miles away from the bunkers, precisely in the middle of the training grounds. "You see that?" Morales' breathy voice broke the silence as he came to a stand-still. Rogers squinted his eyes at the silver reflection a few meters away. "Yeah… Should we radio the base?" The senior NCO (non-commissioned officer) nodded before resting his hand on his hip as Lucas pulled out a small radio from his belt pack.

"This is Corporal Lucas Rogers…" Morales couldn't hear the Corporal's voice over the rising winds as he focused on what was in the sand.

-- _"Units are on their way. Proceed with caution, Corporal Rogers. We'll keep the line open."_

Morales looked back at Rogers who nodded before reaching for his own hand gun. The two Marines slowly approached the shining metal surface and recognized it as media-issued dog tags. "Damn…" Morales moved the tags just enough to read the name. "Rachel Gordon." He gently tugged on the tags to confirm his suspicions; she was buried below. "Bastard struck again. Call the base back. Tell 'em we need NCIS out here again."

The Corporal nodded before jogging back towards the trail, leaving the Staff Sergeant to his thoughts. Six women were dead; NCIS had arrived after the first two bodies were found. Four more bodies had been found since the agents had shown up. They needed more help. Sure, people were expected to die, it was a war. They just weren't supposed to be victims of a serial killer. Not like this.

---

FBI HEADQUARTERS – BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS UNIT

Quantico, VA

"Six women have been found dead, buried in the sands of the Afghan deserts." JJ handed out manila folders to each of her teammates as they sat at the round table in the briefing room. Morgan looked at his file questioningly, almost as if it were diseased. "And this is in our jurisdiction?" The blond media liaison nodded as she pulled up pictures of each victim on the screen. "They all took place on a US Naval base, making it technically American soil." Morgan put the file down and folded his arms. "Again, how is this case ours? Doesn't NCIS have jurisdiction?"

Hotch continued to scan over the case file as he spoke in his naturally deep, authoritative voice. "NCIS has hit a wall with their investigation. All the evidence has been nearly destroyed by the desert conditions it was recovered from and they're hoping we can profile their UnSub to give the investigation new life." He put the file down before looking at each of them slowly. "Because of the distance and limited space, only four of us are going, and before anyone protests," He shot a look at Morgan which quickly silenced his unspoken plea, "I've already made my decision on who's going."

There was a sudden silence that came over the team as Hotch prepared to let them know who would be where. "It's a given that Garcia will remain here in Quantico. We won't have the same full access to technology overseas like we do here, so there'd be no point. Prentiss, you'll also be staying here. Your multilingual skills will be necessary to translate what Garcia finds as there is a good chance this UnSub is an Afghan national. Morgan, you'll be going with me overseas. Your gun savvy will be needed. Reid, I'll need your eidetic memory to record what is left of the evidence before it all goes to hell."

The Unit Chief looked at the last two agents: JJ and Rossi. "Rossi, you'll be staying here with Prentiss and Garcia. I need one senior agent here." He met the eyes of a dumbstruck JJ. Why was he picking her? She wasn't a profiler, and while she was accurate with a hand gun, sub machine guns and assault rifles were completely different stories. "JJ, as you know there is a large mass of media on base, and with NCIS' inability to find the killer, they'll be in a frenzy. I'll need you to keep them calm and to keep details from being released to the press. We can't have an uproar on the base or back here on our own soil." The blond woman pursed her lips before nodding solemnly in agreement. "Ok, you have your assignments. Wheels up in five hours. Pack light and durable. We could be there a while." Everyone stood and left in silence. This was a big case and everyone was scared to say goodbye. It could be the last time.

---

BAU – PENELOPE GARCIA'S OFFICE

Quantico, VA

"Tell them we're unavailable… tell them you guys don't have passports…" Penelope was holding onto Derek's form fitting shirt for dear life. She didn't want any of her babies to leave. Hunting serial killers was dangerous enough, but hunting them in the middle of a war zone was about as dangerous as it got.

Derek's deep eyes gazed into hers soothingly. "Baby Girl, we'll be fine. I'll call you every day and we'll be in contact when you're working your magic to solve the case." He flashed his pearly white smile before pulling the tech analyst into his muscular arms and kissed her gently on top of her head. "You know Hotch. He won't let anyone put us in more danger than we need to be in." He brushed a stray hair out of her eyes as he continued to smile at her.

Garcia stood in his warm embrace for a few moments before standing back and looking up at him skeptically. "Fine, but if you're going, you have to take a piece of me with you." She reached behind her neck and unclasped the thin metal chain she had been wearing. A small, silver cross adorned the center of the otherwise bare chain. "I expect to get this and you back in one piece, Agent Morgan."

Morgan closed his large hand around the necklace before giving her another squeeze. "You will, Baby Girl. You will."

---

BAU – SPENCER REID'S DESK

Quantico, VA

Spencer pulled out the familiar pad of paper and ball point pen as he formulated what he wanted to write inside his mind. He knew he had to be careful how he worded things. He didn't want to worry his mother.

_Mom,_

_ It's me, Spencer. I just wanted to tell you about our latest case before I leave. I won't be able to send you any letters while I'm gone, but I'll still write them and mail them when I get back._

_ Morgan, Hotch, JJ and I are going to a military base in Afghanistan. Someone on the base is hurting the soldiers and they need our help to stop them. Six women have already killed and I can only hope we get there before there's a seventh._

_ I'm sorry this letter is so short, but there's nothing else I can tell you, other than that I love you and I'm proud to be your son. Thanks for being there for me._

_ Love,_

_ Spencer_

The young doctor folded up the paper with a sense of accomplishment. She needed to know where he would be and why he couldn't write. _He _needed her to know.

---

HOME OF JENNIFER JAREAU

Manassas, VA

"Hey, cher." Will kissed JJ on the lips tenderly as she walked in the door. "Wa's wron'?" His handsome face contorted to match the inquisitive nature of his Cajun voice. JJ placed a slender hand on his cheek before kissing him again, this time more passionately. "It's our newest case… we're going to be away for a while." Will nodded and led them both to the couch as she continued explaining. "It's going to be more dangerous than usual." Her crystal blue eyes met his as he began to chuckle. "Ya soun' like you goin' ova'seas fo' da war o' somet'in'." JJ pursed her lips and he understood. "Will, we're looking for a serial killer on a Navy base. It's the same thing as if we we're –" He placed his index finger over her lips to silence her. "Jennifer, I know yo' job is dangerous, an' I may not always like it, but it's yo' job. I'll help ya' pack so yo' can say bye ta Henry."

Will kissed her lovingly before standing and heading to their bedroom. "Will…" He stopped and looked back at JJ who was smiling with tears in her eyes. "Thank you."

---

HOME OF AARON HOTCHNER

Fairfax, VA

"DADDY!" Jack ran up to his crouching father and wrapped his arms around Hotch's neck. "Hey buddy! Are you being good for Aunt Jessica?" Aaron carried his son into the kitchen where Jessica was making Mac N' Cheese for the toddler. "He's been a perfect angel, other than our little Play-Doh fiasco."

Hotch set his son down, who ran off to finish watching Spongebob, before raising a dark brow skeptically. "Do I even want to know?" Jessica simply laughed and shook her head. "Trust me, Aaron, you don't."

He nodded as he leaned against the counter with his arms folded across his chest. "Thanks for driving out here so I could see him."

The blond woman wiped her hands on a towel and faced him. "Of course. You said you've got a new case? In Afghanistan?" Aaron nodded. "There's a serial killer on a base overseas. NCIS needs us to profile him." Jessica looked over at Jack who was mesmerized by the television. "You know I'll keep Jack as long as you need me to. Just be safe." She kissed him on the cheek and gave him a warm smile. "He's proud of you, you know. He tells everyone how his daddy stops the bad guys and how he never loses." Aaron looked at his son silently and nodded. He wished that were the case.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well, here's the LONG awaited update to my friggin' sequel. Laptop broke, massive writer's block, moved into own apartment, got new job, blah, blah, blah. All that matters is that you're getting a new chapter! Only took 6 months… Heheheh… I hope you guys aren't disappointed… well, I'm sure you will be. It's kind of a filler chappie… but the next one's pretty good… IDK, let me know!**

FBI HEADQUARTERS – PRIVATE AIR STRIP

Quantico, VA

JJ entered the cabin of the plan five minutes after Hotch had, ten minutes before the plan was scheduled to take off. Usually, she was one of the first ones there, but she wanted to spend as much time with Will and Henry as she could before she had to leave. It hurt to be away from her son at any time, but while they were in Afghanistan, she wouldn't even be able to call.

She put her thoughts of her family in the back of her mind. Right now, her team needed her. "Here are the case files on each of the victims. The evidence is light due to the desert conditions they were exposed to." She set a thick folder in front of Reid, who had been tapping his foot nervously. He took the folders thankfully as he finally had some information to distract himself with.

He immediately set to scanning the information, forcing himself to do it at the painstakingly slow pace everyone else was reading at in an attempt to make it last more than two minutes. The young doctor's reading was interrupted by his boss' deep voice. "I want you all to get some rest. This is a thirteen hour flight with a one hour layover in London to refuel and change pilots. We'll have plent of time to go over these files once we're fresh."

Aaron leaned back in his plush leather seat, lowered the window shade, and shut his eyes. It had been six months since his ordeal with Neal; three since he had returned to field work. His team had hunted for the killer for weeks until Strauss forced them to take on a new case. Since then, not a sight nor sound was heard of from the man known as the Photographer. Hotch couldn't help but think how unoriginal Neal was to take a page from Foyet's own play book. For now, he would take every precaution he could to prevent a repeat of the recent months events. Jessica didn't know, but there were always US Marshals watching her and Jack when Aaron wasn't home. He wouldn't let Neal do what Foyet had done. He wouldn't lose his son.

His thoughts of his newest nemesis slowly faded as he fell into a haunted slumber. His team knew he was having nightmares, they could see it in his eyes, but they knew better than to say anything. Hotch was the kind of man who needed to do this on his own.

Morgan absent mindedly twirled the cross that was hanging from his neck. He hadn't take the chain off since Garcia had given it to him. Unlike the spunky tech analyst, Derek wasn't overly concerned about going overseas. He was honored to be given the opportunity to protect those who protected his freedom. Even though he would never admit it, he was pretty stoked about getting to use the SMGs – sub machine guns – again. They were his favorite toys.

His dark eyes drifted to Spencer and JJ who were playing crazy eights. He couldn't help but laugh at the genius' puzzled look as he lost for the third straight time. "I say we play black jack!" JJ scoffed. "Why? So you can count cards, Vegas?" Reid scowled at her truthful words. "Fine. Let's play Gin, then." The blond media liaison rolled her eyes before dealing the cards again. "You can go first, Spence. I wouldn't want you to get too discouraged." Reid ignored her taunt and drew a card to begin what would be an intense battle."

BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS UNIT – PENELOPE GARCIA'S OFFICE

Quantico, VA

"Yes, sir. I will pass these files on to Agent Prentiss and Rossi. Agents Hotchner, Morgan, Jareau, and Dr. Reid should be there in about ten hours. They have the files for the other six women." Penelope nodded silently as she listened to the Admiral on the other end of the line. "Yes, sir. If anything else develops, just give me a call." She ended the call with a hopeless sigh. Another woman had shown up dead before the team could even get there. They had a lot of work cut out for them.

Garcia's heels echoed as they clacked against the linoleum floor leading from her office to the bull pen where Emily was reviewing the case files of the earlier victims. "Em, we've got a seventh victim." The brunette looked up from the files with a perturbed look on her face. "Already? My God…" She took the file from the blond agent reluctantly before flipping it open, closing her eyes with pity as she saw the state of the deceased woman. "Throat slit from ear to ear, eviscerated, fingers removed… but face completely intact. It's our guy." She put the file down and ran a hand through her hair as Rossi walked out of his office and over to the two women.

His voice was grim as he saw the picture. "Another one?" Garcia nodded as she handed him the file. "And there's still ten hours left to their trip. I hope they're not greeted with three more cases." They nodded in agreement. They could only hope.

PRIVATE AIR STRIP

London, England

_He woke slowly, lifting his bloodied head to search for his attacker. "Be good and scream. This is a special recording for Detective Neal." He slid some brass knuckles on his left hand before winding up and connecting with Hotch's jaw, which was met with a grunt. The Photographer frowned in displeasure at his lack of response. "Let's try this again." He pulled his fist back again, this time bringing it across Aaron's nose, resulting in a sickening crack._

_ Hotch couldn't help but let a shout of pain pass his lips as yet another blow connected with his nose. "Get the fuck off me!" He felt his seat begin to rumbled was placed on his shoulder. "Hotch!"_

"Hotch!" Morgan shook the Unit Chief gently in an attempt to wake him from his surreal nightmare. Aaron's eyes shot open as he could only stare at Morgan, dumbfounded. Just a moment ago he was being tortured within an inch of his life and now he was relaxing in the plush leather chair in the BAU's private jet. Aaron cleared his throat as he punched the bridge of his nose as he tried to clear his head. Yes, Morgan?" Derek looked at his supervisor worriedly, but let it go. Reid and JJ were still asleep, oblivious to what was going on, and he knew his boss would want it kept that way.

"We're in London. Pilot say we have about forty five minutes til take-off and Garcia sent us this." The tall black agent handed Hotch a manila folder containing another murder file. Aaron sighed disappointedly. They hadn't even arrived and there was already another victim. This UnSub was moving quickly. Derek's eyes didn't stray from his boss' face as he fought to not profile the man. "Foyet or Neal?" Hotch's face turned into a stony glare as he processed Morgan's question. "Neal. This time… it's usually Foyet." He met Derek's deep eyes with a look of determination. "I'm fine. Strauss made me take four different psych evals just to ensure I wasn't faking." Derek simply nodded, letting the topic drop as JJ began to stir.

She ran a slender hand through her perfect blond hair as she smoothed her hair and clothes back into their usual pristine appearance. JJ elbowed Reid playfully to wake the sleeping doctor. "Wake up, sleepy genius." Morgan cooed at the young man playfully. "Yea?" JJ stifled a laugh at the mosh of hair enveloping Reid's entire head as he sat up sleepily. Hotch handed JJ the file Morgan had given him. "We've got another body."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Ok, truth be told, I typed this up right after I uploaded the last chapter, but wanted to keep it unposted so I had an extra chapter to give you guys in my ammunition in case I ended up procrastinating this again, too. I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. This one is much more interesting, IMO. Yes, JJ will remain in my story, and in the concluding story I **_**may **_**be planning… Heheh… I don't intend to write her out of this series and may just keep her in any other fics I write. I like her. Whatevs. Enjoy!**

US NAVAL BASE

Undisclosed Location, Afghanistan

"Welcome to Hell." Admiral Frank Marsden, the man in charge of the base, greeted Hotch with a firm handshake. "Hopefully we won't be here too long, Admiral." The plump, greying man nodded and shook hands with the rest of the team, pausing to give JJ a good look over, admiring her perfect breasts and slender waist. She forced herself to smile through his chauvinistic scrutiny. Morgan glared at the man but kept his composure. They didn't need to be making enemies this early. "Come with me. We've got a section of the officers bunkers set up for you. You can set up shop in the NCIS offices. Special Agent Veers is their team leader and is expecting you at fifteen hundred hours." Morgan nodded as the Admiral made eye contact with him.

"Agent Morgan, I understand you are the weapons expert, and Agent Hotchner is the top marksman." Derek nodded as the Admiral pointed to the building to their left. "M-16s are what we carry on base. There are two in there; one for you and one for Agent Hotchner." Reid looked at JJ with an expression of relief. He was barely comfortable firing his handgun, let alone an assault rifle.

The rest of their trek was silent until they reached the bunkers. "Gentlemen, you'll be staying in this room, and Miss Jareau…" The Admiral brushed against the blond media liaison inconspicuously as he led her to the room across the hall. "This is your room. Let me help you with your bags." He placed his hand over hers and let it linger as she pulled her hand away from his. "I'm fine, but thank you." JJ walked into her room and set down her bags, feeling the Admiral's eyes on her back. "Is there anything I can get for you, Jennifer?" Marsden only made it one step into her room before Hotch cleared his throat behind him. "It's Agent Jareau, Admiral." He looked back at the Unit Chief innocently. "Excuse me?" Hotch kept his facial expressions passive to match his voice. "Her name is Agent Jareau." The Admiral nodded with false regret. "I'll be back for all of you in two hours. In the meantime, please, settle in." Marsden nodded his head before throwing one last look at JJ and left.

JJ sat on the edge of her bed and put her head in her hands, sighing deeply. "Are you alright?" Hotch's deep voice caused her head to shoot back up. "Hmm? Oh… yeah. I'm just a little tired." She looked past him at the hustle and bustle in the boys' room. Morgan had pulled the mattress off his own bed and was sliding it towards her room. "Morgan, what are you doing!" Derek flipped the mattress over at the foot of her bed. "JJ, you aren't staying in here by yourself. Not with that sexist pig following you around." She looked at Hotch to protest but he simply shook his head. "I agree with Morgan. And JJ, it has nothing to do with being able to handle yourself. You shouldn't have to deal with that and Morgan can make sure you don't." She looked to Reid, who just shrugged, and rolled her eyes in defeat. "Fine, but you still have to use the other bathroom."

BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS UNIT – PENELOPE GARCIA'S OFFICE

Quantico, VA

"House of Horrors. What can I do you for?" Penelope was hunched over her desk, tapping her fuzzy purple pen against her computer monitor in an attempt to entertain herself. It wasn't working.

- _"Hey there, Sunshine."_

"Morgan!" She sat up and put the phone on speaker with new found energy. "Hold on, my vision." Garcia put Morgan on hold before dialing Prentiss' desk. "I've got Morgan on the line."

- _"Thanks. I'll be right there."_

The blond tech goddess resumed Derek's phone call with renewed passion. "Yes, my chocolate Grecian God?" She could hear his deep chuckle on the other end.

- _"Just wanted you to know we landed. Hotch is getting our military grade weapons, but he wanted me to deliver a message. Hotch needs you guys to find out if the families of the victims had any trouble. We know there weren't any threats, but make sure there are no connections between them. We need to know if this is random or not."_

Prentiss nodded silently. "Rossi and I will go over every file Garcia can find us."

_- "I'll check back in with you later if I haven't heard from you before then."_

Rossi walked in behind them. "Be safe, Morgan. Be careful who's door you go kicking down." There was a smirk in his voice as he heard Morgan laughing before the dark skinned agent disconnected the call. "Alright, let's get this started on this."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Ok, since you were all so patient with me, I am giving you two chapters for the price of one! I am really trying to get this story out. It's been very challenging for me but I think I've got it. I'm just going for a simple case fic to set you up for the finale to the Photographer trilogy... or am I? Bwahaha... please enjoy!**

US NAVAL BASE

Undisclosed Location, Afghanistan

JJ Stepped out of her bathroom in her cargo desert camo pants, chocolate brown combat boots, and a matching brown tight fit T-shirt. Her blond hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail to pull together the profressional military woman look.

She shook her head at the three men when she stepped out of her room. Morgan's muscles were bulging out of his shirt, as usual. Hotch had somehow managed to make his desert camo still look crisp and professional, as if he was still in his black suit, something only he could achieve. Finally, Reid stumbled out still looking like a chíc nerd despite the masculine nature of the uniform. JJ couldn't help but smile at the trio.

"Special Agent Veers is expecting us." Admiral Marsden entered the hallway in the enlisted bunker as he motioned towards the door. "here's a vehicle outside that will take us there." He headed towards the door, not even looking at JJ. She didn't mind, but it only made her more paranoid. She would have to ask Hotch about his behavior.

The ride there as silent, except for the Admiral who was sharing stories with Hotch; the Unit Chief simply stored the information away without commenting. He had no desire to indulge the Admireal in his egotistical ramblings.

Reid jumped from the hummer with a sigh of relief. And the team though _he_ was bad! At least he didn't ramble on and on about himself. He shook himself from his musings as they entered NCIS headquarters. A petite brunette greeted the Admiral with a firm handshake before giving the team a warm smile. "BAU, this is Special Agent Sara Collins. She will get you anything you need." He smiled as she scowled slightly. "The hummer outside is for your use during your stay here. Let me know if there's anything else you need." The Admiral left the room, letting his fingers graze JJ's hand inconspicuously. She let it go, just wanting to solve the case and go home.

"Like he said, I'm Sara. If you'll follow me, I believe Agents Veers and Foray are waiting in the bull pen." Collins turned on her heel and walked briskly towards their destination. "So, I guess Marsden is possessive with all women. I don't think Agent Collins appreciated being told she would get us anything we need." Morgan didn't have to look at JJ to know that she was nodding agreement. "At least I don't have to deal with it 24/7."

The team followed Collins silently up into the bull pen where they spotted two men working steadily over their desk; Veers and Foray. "Boss, Vinny, these are Agents Hotchner, Morgan, Jareau, and Dr. Reid." A vibrant, blond haired man shot up from his desk, greeting them with a warm smile. He looked at JJ and couldn't help but grimace. "I've seen that look before. Marsden?" Veers stood up rigidly before looking between Collins and JJ. "I've already warned that bastard to back off of my agent. Say the word and I'll do it again." He gave JJ a serious nod before shaking hands with Hotch.

"Liam Veers. This is Special Agent Vincent Foray. We appreciate you flyin' out here to help us with this. We need all the help we can get." Vinny waved in a gesture that meant he seconded that opinion. Sara stepped towards her desk, retrieving several files from her desk. "These are the restricted personnel files for each of the victims. Hopefully this will help you profile our killer." Reid snatched up the files and immediately began reading them at a seemingly inhuman pace.

"All seven women have male relatives in the military; whether they were an uncle, father, husband... whatever." He looked at Hotch carefully before continuing. "And of those seven, the four victims that were members of the military have notes on their file about their military relative making a formal request for them not to be allowed to be deployed. The three victims who were members in the media have notes in their file about their families advocating against their elegibility to be shipped over seas. Our first victim's father tried to have his daughter committed just to ruin her chances." Morgan folded his arms across his chest before sighing. "Well, we have our victimology." "And a possible part to our profile. Our UnSub would have to have access to these files in some capacity. He's doing his research."

JJ looked at the faces of the women in the various personnel files, her heart sinking. Each woman carried a fire in their eye that had been prematurely and permanently extinguished. "We need to get a statement ready as soon as possible. The press is already going to be up in arms with our arrival." She turned back towards Sara before continuing. "Do you have transcripts from any of your past press conferences? I want to make sure I can shut down as many of the speculations as possible in one conference." Agent Collins nodded before retreating to her desk to call up the files.

"We understand you haven't released the bodies yet. We'd like to see them." Reid looked to Agent Foray who smiled grimly. "Of course. Anything to help us catch this bastard." Morgan joined the young doctor as they headed down to autopsy. Hopefully the dead would speak to them.

BAU HEADQUARTERS

Quantico, VA

Emily Prentiss knocked lightly on the open door that led to David Rossi's office as she entered, her eyes falling on the thick manila folder in his hands. "Don't tell me Strauss gave us an assignment while the rest of the team is away." Her voice held a tone of incredulousness as she accosed the older agent with a frustrated glare.

Rossi remained silent until he finished reading the page before him. "No. I'm going back over Warren Neal's profile. There has to be something in here to tell us where he's gone to." Emily's face remained blank blank as her hand absently brushed the small scar the Photographer had given her. "He went nine years without making a move. He's obviously patient." David nodded his head in agreement with the brunette's sentiment.

"Has Garcia heard anything else from Morgan?" The elder agent pu the file aside, focusing his inquisitive gaze on Emily's dark eyes. "No. They were supposed to be meeting with NCIS today. Hopefully we'll hear something soon." David nodded. "I hope so. The sooner they get home, the better."


End file.
